Modern-day MMO The Secret World has a great deal going for it. The world is interesting, there are clear plans for regular content updates, and their new raid looks lovely. It even has a free trial now. But unfortunately, what it doesn't have going for it is subscribers.
Developer Funcom, based in Norway, had announced earlier this month that, due to poorer than projected sales and subscriptions, "cost-cutting measures"—read as, layoffs—would be coming. And, sadly, they have. Yesterday, rumors were floating around of up to a 50% reduction in staff. Today, Funcom confirmed that estimate, saying:
Around half of the company's personnel have been affected, with some departments being more affected than others. To make sure Funcom is in the best possible position to realize its plans for both existing games as well as future projects, the company is focusing on retaining as many as possible on the production teams.
Funcom also stressed the "temporary" nature of some, though not all, of the layoffs. Offices in Montreal, Beijing, Oslo, and Durham, NC were hit.
Funcom reduces operational costs following ‘The Secret World' launch [Funcom]